A Little Bit of Luck
by Althea Snape
Summary: When Althea Navarra finally joins the order, she sets off a chain of events that dramatically alter the course of everyone's lives. Remus seems to have found someone to talk to, she finally keeps the escaped convict under control, and even the grumpy potions master seems... different around her. What is is about her?
1. Chapter 1 - Not Just Cold

**Author's Note: Ok, this is the first story I've written. I've had the idea for a long time now and would appreciate the reviews. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: You don't think I could come up with such brilliant characters do you? Nope, its all Jo Rowling's work. Except Althea - SHE'S MINE! Er, moving on...**

****Chapter 1 - Not Just Cold

It was a cold December afternoon. In fact, it was not just cold, it was bloody freezing. Althea pulled the scarf more tightly around her neck as she knocked on the door of 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Ah, Miss Navarra, do come in," greeted a wizened old face, and two stunningly blue eyes. "My, it is cold, is it not?"

For a moment, Althea had the mad urge to disagree, but she refrained from doing so and stepped into the warmth of the house. "Headmaster, wonderful to see you, as always," she said politely. Dumbledore simply smiled and began to lead her through the corridor.

Althea had wanted to join the Order as soon as she had found out of its existence, some 14 years ago. However, she had been unable to do so, having taken the Healer's Oath, an Unbreakable Vow which prevented her from intentionally causing harm to another human being or even being an adversary. So, she had enlisted Dumbledore's help in finding a loophole in her agreement.

She had stopped her search after that night when Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort, but it seemed that Dumbledore had always known Voldemort would return. He must have continued the search for loopholes, because as soon as the need had arisen for him to reform the Order, he had let her know saying that he had found the necessary exception to her Oath. It so abviously stated "unless [...] it is for the good of society" that she was almost surprised that she hadn't found it sooner. Morbid as it may seem, she had rather jumped with joy at the opportunity to join the fight against Voldemort, and so here she was.

As they came to the door of, what she assumed, must be a dining room, Dumbledore stopped and turned to address her. "Althea, within this room are members of the Order, many of whom you may be acquainted with already, and some new faces. However, there is at least one person within this room whom you will immediately be inclined to attack, based on a misconception. So to make sure that you do not do something you later regret, I would like to keep your wand in my possession, please."

Truth be told, Althea trusted Dumbledore blindly, and had no objection to handing over her wand. However, she did not want him to think that she was so easily influenced, and so she held it out to him, and said with a reluctant look "Alright, but only if I can have it back as soon as you're satisfied..."

"Naturally," Dumbledore said simply, and then opened the door, gesturing for her to follow him in. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "I would like to introduce the newest member of the Order, Miss Althea Navarra."

And then she was surrounded. Dumbledore was right. She did know most of them, like Nymphadora Tonks and Moody, who looked at her with both eyes for a split second, nodded and then resumed scanning the room with his magical eye.

She also immediately recognised Molly Weasley, having even dated her younger brother Fabian for some time. The redheads all introduced themselves as a Weasley, and the twins Fred and George reminded her so much of their uncles that she immediately felt ingratiated into their family. Others she did not know introduced themselves, such as Kingsley Shacklebolt, quite possibly the origin of the phrase "tall, dark and handsome".

And of course there was Harry Potter. Well, who did not know him, or at least of him? How remarkably he looked like James, except his eyes, they were Lily's. And she did not hesitate to tell him this. And although he must have heard it a billion times, his face still lit up at the discovery that she had known his parents.

Remus Lupin was there, of course, standing at the back of the room, looking as frail as ever. It was, after all, the week before the full moon, and she knew he didn't wish to make a big deal of it. The least she could do was respect his wishes. He had been one of her best friends since school, and these past few years, they had been there for each other. So she just smiled at him and continued greeting the other members.

Yes, it was cold outside. In fact, it was not just cold. It was bloody freezing. But Althea couldn't have been warmer. She didn't know why Dumbledore had felt the need to take her wand away, until she saw him, and paled. In some small part of her sub-conscience, she had known this was coming the moment Dumbledore had revealed the location of the meeting. However, she could not stop the exclamation that escaped her lips.

"Merlin help me, Sirius Black!"

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SO how did you guys like that? Please review.

Sirius: Yeah please do! And then you can find out about Al's reaction to me!

Al: There. Even Sirius wants you to review :)


	2. Chapter 2 - You Haven't Changed a Bit

**Hey, thanks to The Yoshinator for my first ever review! This chapter's dedicated to you :)**

**Disclainer: As I said, I own none but Althea.**

Chapter 2 - You Haven't Changed a Bit

At Althea's exclamation, the whole room had gone silent. Sirius remained expressionless, except from a slightly worried twitch of his eyebrows. However, soon after, everyone launched into explanation.

"No, you don't understand, it's not what we've been thinking"

"He never actually worked for You Know Who!"

"It was Pettigrew, that little rat, and Black has just been framed, guilty as he may appear."

This last comment was from Moody, naturally, who did not like to be _too _nice to anyone, and if he, the least trusting person in the room, (actually, probably in the world) believed that Sirius was innocent, then who was she to disagree? So she ran to Sirius and threw her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry, Sirius, I'm so sorry!" she said, repeatedly.

Sirius merely looked confused. "Why do you need to be sorry, love?" he asked quizzically. This proved to be too much and Althea promptly burst into tears, as Dumbledore ushered the Order out of the dining room.

"I should have known you were innocent. That you would rather die than betray James."

"Al, everyone thought it was me! And Albus told me how you fought for my sake for ages with the ministry."

"I did, Sirius, but then I caught up with Moody and he told me he'd heard that the ministry found your wand and tested it." She sighed. "I had to give up."

Sirius frowned. "That's what Moody said, is it? It's probably what they told him as well. The bastards took my wand, but they never actually used Priori Incantatem on it." He now looked completely disgusted. "I suppose they were scared. I mean, what if it turned out that I was innocent and they had to release me? That would look terrible for them, wouldn't it? It was the same then as it is now with Fudge, refusing to believe what's in front of them."

Althea shook her head in exhaustion. "Well, you hardly made it easier for yourself. You always did have this annoying habit of rushing into things."

_Flashback_

_The summer sun was shining down brightly on the grounds of Hogwarts castle. The sixth years had just finished their NEWTs, and were now lounging outside the castle. Lucius Malfoy was proudly bragging to any who would listen about the job he had been promised in the ministry. _

_A crowd of fourth year Hufflepuff girls just happened to pass by at the moment he was describing in great detail his new boss Artemis Mole, and began to snigger at the description of the "moustachio". Malfoy, being a Malfoy, immediately took offense and began to threaten the girls with wand (not a euphemism!)._

_At this moment, four young second year Gryffindors caught sight of the scene that was unfolding, where a SLYTHERIN was attacking a group of girls. These four young Gryffindors being boys, it did not escape their notice, either, that these girls just happened to be rather attractive. So a young Sirius Black, eager as he was to impress the ladies, ran forward and stood between the ladies and Malfoy._

"_Leave them alone, Malfoy," he shouted, in that typically high pitched voice of a boy who has not yet hit puberty. Now the attention of the crowd was drawn. First years ran away from the scene, second years watched in awe and older years simply cringed as they prepared for the boy to feel Malfoy's wrath. This was the case with all houses except Slytherin. Members of this house simply watched in glee as the boy who had betrayed their house by becoming a Gryffindor would now get what was coming to him._

_The corners of Malfoy's mouth began to twitch, but he resisted a smile. "Oh, you want me to leave them alone? And what are you going to do if I don't?" he asked._

_Sirius pondered for a moment and then responded "I'll challenge you to a duel!" At this, a universal 'ooh' passed through the growing crowd of onlookers, and James slapped his palm on his forehead._

_Malfoy could now not even hide his smile, and he simply said "McNair can be my second. And who's yours?"_

_Sirius had forgotten about this minor obstacle, and he looked around at his mates, wondering which one of them would be willing to help him. There was a moment of silence. Then, rolling his eyes and wondering why he became friends with all the fools, James slowly stepped forward. "I'll do it."_

"_Well, we appreciate the loyalty you show to your friend, Mr Potter, but I'm afraid that no one will be doing anything." Everyone turned around to see Andromeda Black, head girl, standing next to Albus Dumbledore. "We seem to have forgotten the minor hitch that we are in school."_

"_Headmaster, sir, it was simply a bit of fun from my part," began Malfoy immediately, but Dumbledore held up a hand to stop him. _

"_Be that as it may, Mr Malfoy, as prefect, you should not be encouraging such tendencies from the younger years, but instead you should attempt to set an example to them. I am afraid I shall have to take 10 points from Slytherin, and give you detention with Mr Filch." Dumbledore then turned to Sirius and James. "Mr Black, I am severely disappointed in you. In future, I expect you to think before you act. It may land you in quite some trouble one day"._

_End Flashback_

"You haven't changed a bit, you know. Do you remember, Albus told you that this annoying habit of yours would get you into trouble?" asked Althea.

"How can I forget? He only took 5 points from me, but it was the first time someone I cared about told me I'd disappointed them." Sirius said, with a smile. "I was so young and impressionable."

"For Albus, even 5 points was a lot to take from a Gryffindor. Mind, he did give them back to James afterwards didn't he? What was it he said?" Althea said with a smile.

"Extraordinary loyalty, I think," responded Sirius, grinning in return. "But to be honest, I can't blame him for favouring Gryffindors. I mean, Slytherins had the Slug, you lot had Flitwick and Hufflepuffs had Sprout. We had to have someone on our side. I mean, Minnie would hardly get us out of tricky situations would she? And, of course," he added with a wink, "it's natural that Albus supported Gryffindor. After all, it is the best house."

Althea raised her eyebrows. "Well, it may be right now because my godson is in that house but of course when we were at Hogwarts, Ravenclaw was the unarguable best. It had me as a member, after all."

"And what if I think that that is total rubbish?" questioned Sirius.

She replied, "Well, I've always thought you were a bit, you know" and she gestured with her hands.

Sirius shook his head with a smile. "I missed you, Ally," he said.

"I missed you too, Sirius," she responded.

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SO that was a quick update. I'm just too eager.

Sirius: Yes, yes you are. You need to sleep now, Al.

Althea: Eh, who needs sleep. I just can't wait to write the next chapter!

Remus: I hope you haven't forgotten that you said we are best friends. And you've mentioned me how many times so far?

Althea: Er... hehe... um you'll be in the next one. I think. We'll see how it goes. All I know is that it's gonna be a good one!

**Please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3 - On the Road to Healing

**Wow! It has taken me a long time to update, but I finally have.**

**Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to JK Rowling.**

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Chapter 3 - On the Road to Healing

When everyone had finally gotten over the excitement of being introduced to a new member of the Order, it was time for dinner. Albus had told Molly about the extra addition before everyone else, and she had organised an exquisite meal for the large party that was to dine.

Dinner went on long into the night, as those who had known Althea for a long time were enjoying reacquainting themselves with her. On the other hand, those who were meeting her for the first time wished to find out more about the work she had done, as an informal assessment of how valuable she would be to the Order.

Speaking about her work brought out the best in her, and she happily recited how she had spent some time working with the Department of Health in the Ministry of Magic, where she teamed up with Health Officials from many other countries to come up with a number of goals which should be achieved.

"I did that, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. It was mostly paperwork and politics, really, and that was never my thing, so soon after we had published a report of our goals, I quit the Department of Health, and went to work for St Mungo's, and that's where I've been for about 15 years now."

"But Healer training takes such a long time, and you aren't old," said Hestia Jones, the surprise evident from her tone. "How have you managed that?"

Althea laughed. "I am older than you give me credit for. Although I must admit, my situation was rather strange. I got work at the Ministry at the end of the third year of my degree, and they told me that I would not have to complete the degree any longer, provided I took some onsite training. I naturally agreed - I mean, why waste all those galleons gathering qualifications that did not matter? And simply having done this work got me the job at St Mungo's. So it was just good fortune, really."

At this, Albus interjected. "You are far too modest. She got the job at St Mungo's because despite resigning from her job at the Ministry, she received a sparkling reference, and we all know how rare an occurrence that is." At this, there were murmurs of agreement from the others, who knew only too well how harsh certain members of the Ministry could be.

Remus finally spoke up. "She has done a tremendous amount of work on lycanthropy, too. Many of you may not know, but she recently worked on a project which has led to significant developments to the Wolfsbane Potion." His whole form was weak, but that did not stop him from smiling brilliantly at Althea, and she smiled back.

"Poor old Remus has been a test subject for me on more than one occasion," she said, before she saw shocked faces around her, and realised what her words implied.

"Oh, no. I didn't... that is to say I..."

"What Althea means to say," interrupted Remus, "is that she used to come and see me after..." he paused, still slightly uncomfortable talking about his problem. "After transformations, to see what my symptoms were. After observing me for many weeks, she decided to try various potions and adding different ingredients to them to at least alleviate the symptoms, if not the root of the disease. I now do not feel _half _as much pain as I once did." He paused again, this time overcome by emotion. "I cannot express how much her support means to me."

This seemed to be enough to quell everyone's questions for the night, and they all finished their dinner and departed. As Althea herself made to leave, however, she was stopped by Sirius.

"You have only just arrived," he said. "You have waited so long to join the Order. You are _most certainly_ not leaving so soon. The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione are staying, anyway. One extra person won't do any harm."

Althea tried to protest, saying that her possessions were all at home, but here, Molly interjected, insisting that she could easily transform her own clothing so it would fit. "Come on, dear, you must be so tired from the day's events." Althea suddenly realised that she_ was_ exhausted, so she finally agreed.

Molly showed her to her room, and gave her clothes to change into. After she had changed, they sat together and talked. It had been a long time since they had met last, some time before the death of Fabian and Gideon Prewett. Althea got the impression that Molly had not really spoken to anyone about her thoughts, about how she had lost her parents and brothers to Voldemort, and about how much she feared losing Arthur and the children.

Althea understood her fears. "Look at it this way, Molly. At least you are fighting to make the world a better place for your kids. I lost so many of my friends, that I cannot tell you. It makes me feel useless that I wasn't been able to do anything for them. After all, what use are all my qualifications if I couldn't save the people I love?"

"You're wrong," said Molly. "You are not useless. How many people's lives have you saved in the last 15 years of being a Healer? You have saved people you do not even know, purely so they get a second chance at living."

"No, I haven't. I've only helped people survive for my own selfishness," said Althea, dejectedly. "Only to make myself feel worthwhile."

"But don't you see that that is the key? You have helped others because you wish to feel worthwhile, and yet despite being so valueable to countless people, you continue to feel as though you are not worthwile, and continue to make a difference to their lives. And it's not just the people you save. Each of the people you have helped must have families. You have been the person who people like me go to when things go wrong, knowing that we need not fear, for the Healers will take care of it. I respect you, you know. If anything, it is me who is useless. I fight, but despite that, I have been able to achieve nothing.

"That is not true, Molly. You have achieved so much. You restore some confidence into the hearts of people like me, who know that there is someone out there who will give everything to defeat evil, hoping for nothing in return. It is I who respects you."

They sat silently for a few moments, each taking in the other's words. For both women, the talk meant much more than they let on. Molly had a lot of family, but at long last, she had found a true friend. For Althea, the nagging pain in her heart had begun to heal, and she realised that she had made the right decision, to stay. Both women slept soundly that night, somewhat more content with their lives, despite the knowledge that there was a war going on.

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Please review!


	4. Chapter 4 - Surprises

**Hi, thanks to The Yoshinator for your review, and thanks also to sirolives... This chapter has come out longer than the previous chapters, so hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: Most characters belong to JK Rowling.**

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Chapter 4 - Surprises

Because of the events of the previous night, the actual Order meeting had not taken place, and so it had been rescheduled to after two days' time.

Althea had been persuaded by Sirius to spend the next few days at Grimmauld Place. "For old times' sake" he had said, and she could not refuse him that.

She had gone home and gathered her belongings, before apparating back to the Order Headquarters. She spent the time getting to know the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione.

Althea was surprised with Arthur's love (bordering on obsession) for all things muggle, and his delight was great indeed when he found out that she had spend some time working in a muggle hospital establishment. He wished to know about every small aspect about muggle life ("So they can heal without the use of magic? Fascinating!").

She was surprised that the twins were so alike to their uncles, both in looks and personality, and she told them all about the mischief Fabian and Gideon had gotten up to in their childhood. They confided in her that they wanted to open up a joke item shop, and she was extremely encouraging in this venture. They showed her what they had already made, and asked for her advice on different potions they were currently testing.

"Well, if you ask me, what you've achieved so far is pretty amazing," said Althea, the awe evident from her tone. "I mean, you're still in school, and you've done all this. The most important thing would be to ensure that there are counter-potions to everything you prepare. You _definitely_ don't want people to be seriously hurt because of it."

"No, not at all," agreed George (after spending so much time with Fabian and Gideon, she had begun to notice small differences between twins and she recognised it was George from the dark freckle on his nose). "Actually, what with all the stuff going on with Voldemort, we're kind of taking extra precautions. The products we would say are ready have not only counter-potions, but if worst comes to worst, the effects fade off a week from consumption."

They showed her the work they had done and to say she was impressed would be an understatement. They had extensive notes on the research they had conducted, and she realised that some of the products they had were quite revolutionary. She wondered how they had funded so much research, but when she asked them as much, they were vague, replying "Oh, this and that". However, they refused to clarify any more, and she was left to come to her own conclusions

She found that Harry and Sirius were almost inseparable during her time at Grimmauld Place, and she was touched to see that the two had found comfort in knowing that there was someone who loved them.

Althea was also surprised when she found out Harry, Ron and Hermione did not know that Neville Longbottom was her godson.

"His mum was my best friend," she said, and then corrected herself "Or rather, she is my best friend." She knew that Neville found it difficult to talk about his parents, so was reluctant to say more. Ron seemed like he was about to ask her about them, but Harry changed the subject. When she later caught his eye, there was a knowing look, which suggested that he knew more than he was letting on. She was pleased that he had respected Neville's confidence, by not even telling his best friend, and she realised how much like his parents he really was.

When it finally came to the order meeting, Molly showed her the a small room of Grimmauld Place. It appeared to have been set up by the Order, specifically for the purpose of accommodating all the members, because it resembled a meeting room.

The children seemed to be wishing to attend the meeting, and there were mixed opinions as to whether or not to allow them to join in. Molly was absolutely insistent that they could not, whereas Sirius seemed to see no harm in Harry knowing what was going on. They argued for quite some time, and then finally Sirius agreed that since it was Althea's first meeting, she would have to be apprised of everything that the order was doing, and so it would not be wise for the children present.

She took a seat near the back of the room, so as not to attract too much attention to herself, knowing that as yet, she had no information to share with the others, and then she waited for the others to arrive. Remus Lupin was one of the first to arrive, and as she smiled at him, he smiled back and came and sat next to her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"How do I look?" he replied, raising one eyebrow. As she considered this, she realised that he looked much worse than two days ago.

"Oh come on, Moony," said Sirius, plonking himself into the chair on the other side of Remus. "Stop fishing for compliments. You know you look as sexy as ever."

Remus chuckled at this. "You really have a way with words, Padfoot. 'Sexy as ever' isn't really saying anything, is it?"

"But it is, Remus," said Althea cheekily. "There is at least one person in this room who is _quite _happy to see you." Remus blushingly denied this, as he began to look around.

Sirius caught on and joined in. "Absolutely, Al. But I think 'quite happy' is a _bit _of an understatement. More like bloody overjoyed." Remus's eyes finally came to rest on Nymphadora Tonks, and as she caught his eye, he looked away immediately.

"But she doesn't seem too happy with us, Sirius. We've taken up the seats around Remus."

"I bet you 5 galleons that if I move to sit next to you, she'll come and take my place."

Althea considered this for a second, almost theatrically, and then agreed. Sirius rose, as if he was stretching his legs, and then dramatically moved to sit next to Althea. All the while, Remus's blush had deepened, and he sat there, purposely avoiding eye contact with the members of the room.

For a split second, it seemed as though Althea was going to win the bet, but sure enough, as Tonks had made her way towards the seat. As she sat down, the determined look on her face along with the small gulp that Remus gave proved to be too much for Althea, who began to giggle uncontrollably. This seemed to trigger Sirius's loud snorts of laughter, and Molly gave him a disapproving look, before returning her gaze to the newspaper she was reading. Tonks looked confused, but Remus shook his head at her and told her that they had finally lost it, and that she shouldn't worry. Tonks was content with this, but Althea got the impression that she would be content with anything Remus told her.

Finally, it seemed everyone was present, and Dumbledore decided to get started. He began by telling various people to report on their findings. Althea was extremely confused by the end of the reports. Many spoke about the Department of Mysteries, and she wondered what it was they wanted from that place.

During her time at the Ministry, she had quickly come to realise that the fewer questions she asked about that place the better, as those who got too inquisitive about it seemed to find themselves quickly out of employment. Even the Minister for Magic, himself, seemed to be unaware of the exact purpose behind the Department of Mysteries.

Many people also spoke of some sort of 'weapon' which could be useful against Voldemort, and her confusion increased. She made sure she listened carefully, however, knowing that Dumbledore would soon explain everything to her in detail, and she may need this information.

Last to speak was Remus, and she was extremely shocked when she found out what he was doing. He was living with the werewolves, with no protection, not a care for what could happen to him. She wondered how Dumbledore would allow something like this. No wonder he looked like hell. However, seeing the determined look on his face, she realised that the only way Dumbledore could have stopped him would have been to use a Full Body Bind or something similar, and she smiled at the stubbornness of her friend.

Finally, when everyone had finished, those who had night shifts left to go to wherever they were stationed. Meanwhile, Dumbledore stayed where he was, waiting. She went up to him when they were the only two left in the room, and he indicated to her to sit down.

"We are just waiting for one more person. I'll require his help to explain the minute details of what the order is doing," he said. Althea nodded, wondering who else could be left.

"So, I gather you stayed here for the past few days?" asked Dumbledore, pleasantly.

"Yes, I have. Both Sirius and Molly were quite insistent that I stay."

"Well done!" said Dumbledore, chuckling, and when she asked him why, he said "It is very rare that those two agree on anything. Anyone who manages to make them stop arguing deserves praise." Althea joined in his laughter, and they carried on talking about inconsequential matters when Sirius came back in, a frown on his face.

"He's here, Albus," he almost spat, "though why you needed _him_ to explain, I still don't know."

"I wouldn't expect _you_ to know, Black. In fact there is very little you do know," came a snarky voice from behind Sirius, and for the umpteenth time, Althea was surprised.

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**Please review!**_  
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